Rail-joint.



0. ALLEN, JR. RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 15. 1913 1,092,624. Patented Apr. 7, 1914;

CULUMIIAPIANOGRAPI! co WASHINGTON. l5. c.

a; v e i y' a I i a. i s a if i a are and" r tion.

OGLESBY ALLEN, TR/ OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RAIL-JOINT.

of my invention is to provide means for securing the abutting endsofrails together without the use of bolt-s or other detachable fasteningdevices of like nature.

A further object of my invention is to provide a fastening device of theabove described character which will not only fasten the rail ends toeach other but which will also provide for a reasonable expansion of therails during hot weather.

A further object of my invention is to construct a fastening devicewhich permits the ready removal of one or more rails from the track atany time in case of injury or the like. And a still further object of myinventlon is to provide a construction by which standard rails may beemployed in the track and which will require no change in the railconstruction other than the cutting away of portions of the rail flangesand web, no thickening of the rail web or recessing of the rail headsbeing required as is usually the case in rail fastenings of thischaracter.

lVith these and other objects in view, my invention will be more fullydescribed, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and thenspecifically pointed out in the claims which are attached to and form apart of this application.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a central vertical longitudinal sectionalView taken through my improved rail joint, the abutting rail ends beingshown in elevation and the rail chair in section; Fig. 2 is afragmentary perspective view of the rail chair and of abutting railends, the parts being unasseinbled to more clearly show theirconstruction; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 33of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Corresponding and like parts arereferred to in the following descriptionand indicated in all the views of the drawing by the same referencecharacters.

The preferred embodiment of my inven tion, as disclosed in the drawings,includes Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 15, 1913.

Patented Apr. '7, 1914.

Serial No. 767,848.

a rail chair, indicated as a whole by the numeral 10, and adapted toreceive and lock ingly engage abutting rail ends. This chair issubstantially rectangular in shape and equal in width to the width ofthe heads of the rails to be fastened and in height to the height of therails exclusive of the heads.

The chair is provided with laterally directed tie engaging flanges 11upon each side conformlng in size and shape to the outer portions of therail flanges and the body is provided throughout its entire length witha centrally disposed, longitudinally extending channel 12 formingresultant spaced walls 13 and 14 which are vertically disposed and theupper edges of which are inclined inwardly to support the rail heads.

Referringmore specifically to Fig. l of the drawing, it will be seenthat the chair is provlded centrally with a longitudinally ex tendingshoulder orweb 15 which is formed during the formmg of the channel,being preferably cast integrally with the chair.

The ends of this shoulder are preferably rounded somewhat as shown at 16and the shoulder is provided at points slightly spaced from its endswith substantially semicylindrical locking lugs 17. of the base portionof the chair, including its flanges, are beveled downwardly away fromthe center as shown at 18.

The entire chair above described, may be cast or otherwise formed in asinglepiece and at relatively low cost and in use may be Secured to theties of the track by spikes in the same manner in which the rail chairsof the ordinary type are fastened.

. The rails employed in connection with the above described chair are ofthe usual construction including a base having laterally directedflanges 19, a vertical web 20 and a head 21. In adapting them for usewith the above described chair, the flanges 19 at the ends of the railsare cut-away, as is the base leaving the web and head of the rails only.The free end of the web in either case is then cutaway as at 22 toengage against and over one end portion of. the shoulder 15 and furthercut-away as at 23 to engage over the locking lug 17. The web of one ofthe abutting rail ends terminates flush with the head and is cut-away ormortised as at 24 to receive a tenon 25 formed upon the adjacent end ofthe next rail by the cutting away of the rail. head and a portion Theends of the web. The construction ofthese parts Will be readilyunderstood from reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing and anyfurther detailed description of the same is therefore unnecessary. Itshould be noted that the base and flanges of the rails are cut-away atan inclination to the vertical to conform to the beveled ends of thebase and flanges of the rail chair and also that the cut-away portions22 and 23 of the rail webs and the mortise 24'and tenon 25 thereof areso formed that when the rails are locked in position in the chair, asshown in Fig. 1, a slight longi-- tudinal movement of each rail in thechair is permitted. At the same time the engagement of the webs againstthe rounded ends 16 of the shoulder prevents movement of either railthrough the chair, while the seating of the lockingvlugs 17 in thecut-away portions 23 of the rail webs prevents the longitudinalwithdrawal of either rail from the chair.

In laying the tracks the rails are fitted together end for end as shownin Fig. 1 of the 25 drawing and-a rail chair is then passed beneath theabutting rail ends and raised to seat its shoulder 15 and locking lugs17 in the posit-ion shown in Fig. 1 when the rails and chair are bothlowered into engagement with the ties of the track and the chair spikedor otherwise secured thereto.- The rails may at any time be separatedfrom each other and from the chair by raising their abut-ting endsupward simultaneously when the rail webs will be lifted from thechannelof the chair and at the same time the tenon 25; will be withdrawnfrom the mortise 24.- The weight of the rails themselves is sufficientto hold them firmly in-place but if de-' sired, of course bolts may bepassed through the walls 13 and 14 of the chair, whichwalls bear firmlyagainst the opposite faces of the webs of the rails and through the websof the rails. If this is done, the bores formed in the rail webs shouldof course be made slightly elliptical with their major axes extendinglongitudinally of the rails to allow for the movement of the railsduring expansion and contraction from changes in temperature.

Although the above described structure constitutes the preferredembodiment of my invention it will of course be understood that variouschanges in the details of construction, within the scope of the appendedclaims, may be made at any time, if desired,

without in the slightest degree departing ing a longitudinal channel, .astop shoulder formed centrally of the channel, and abutting rail endshaving their base and flanges cut-away to permit the seating of theirweb ends in the channel, said web ends being cutaway to engage about theshoulder and further cut away to provide interlocking tongue and mortiseportions.

2. In a rail joint, the combination With a rail chair including a basehaving lateral flanges and vertically extending spaced apart walls, astop shoulder formed centrally between the walls and locking lugsextending upwardly from the end portions of the stop shoulder, of rails,the abutting ends of which have their flanges cutaway to permit theseating of their webs between the upstanding walls of the rail chair,said webs,

being cut-away for locking engagement with the shoulder and lugsthereof.

3. In a rail joint, the combination with a rail chair including a basehaving lateral flanges and vertically extending spaced apart Walls, astop shoulder formed centrally between the walls and locking lugsextending upwardly from the end portions of the stop shoulder, of rails,the abutting ends of which have their flanges cut-away to permit theseating of their webs between the upstand-.

ing walls of the rail chair, said. webs being cut-away for lockingengagement with the shoulder and lugs thereof, the web at one endbeingprovided with a mortise and the web at t-heother end with an extendedtenon seating in the mortise.

4. In a rail joint, a rail chair including a base having lateral flangesand vertically ex tending spaced apart walls, a stop shoulder formedcentrally between the walls with its upper face parallel to the base,said stop shoulder being provided adjacent each end with an upstandinglug, and abutting rail ends having their flanges and web portionscut-away to permit their seating between the upstanding walls ofthe'rail chair.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.v

OGLESBY ALLEN, JR. [1.. s.] Witnesses: V

AnoLrH LANKUS, MYER H. GLADSTONE.

Co'piesof this patent may be obtained for five cents each; By addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

